As of: April 2, 2024, 2:26 p.m
By: Sarah Isele
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There are many solutions to combat weeds in the garden. One of them is pouring vinegar essence on it. But can you really use it to kill weeds?
Weeds are an unsightly sight in the garden and you would like to get rid of them immediately. Hobby gardeners use various means to combat this unpleasant herb. On the one hand, you can cut out the herb, scrape it out with a scraper or burn it away with a burner. People also like to unpack the chemical club, while others swear by home remedies. What is the use of a home remedy like vinegar essence against weeds? (More life hacks and valuable tips about the house and garden can be found here.)
Can you kill weeds with vinegar essence?
Hobby gardeners don't like to leave weeds in their garden. It is considered an eyesore and is plucked out of the ground or combated in some other way as soon as it appears. Although many people are increasingly switching from the beautiful English lawn to a natural garden, others are by no means a fan of the “weeds”. And in fact you can kill weeds with vinegar essence, as LUDWIGSHAFEN24 reports.
The highly acidic essence damages the cell membrane of plants and, similar to salt, causes the plants to dry out through osmosis. The acid injures the weeds above ground and also damages the roots so much that the plant withers. But caution is advised here, because the vinegar essence does not distinguish between weeds and ornamental plants. The soil can also be permanently affected by the treatment! Vinegar essence, on the other hand, is a real miracle cure for cleaning around the house.
How do I dilute vinegar essence against weeds?
If you want to make your own vinegar mixture against weeds, you can simply choose between table vinegar or vinegar essence. Brandy vinegar or apple cider vinegar are also sufficient to combat weeds in the garden. With all types of vinegar, the mixture is important. Vinegar contains 5 percent acetic acid and vinegar essence contains 25 percent. Both types of vinegar should definitely be diluted before using in the garden.
Vinegar essence
(25 percent): Add 1 part vinegar essence to 15 parts water
Household vinegar
(up to 5 percent): Mixing ratio of 1 to 3. 250 ml vinegar and 750 ml water make 1 liter of weed killer based on acetic acid.
The vinegar solution is distributed precisely using a plant sprayer or a pressure sprayer. Tip: Surrounding plants should be protected from the spray mist with cardboard or foil. When applying the vinegar solution to the plant, you should apply enough so that all above-ground parts of the plant are wetted, but no dripping water forms that can seep into the soil. It is better to repeat this process several times a day if the vinegar mixture has dried up.
How long does vinegar have to work on weeds?
The higher the concentration of acetic acid applied, the faster the treated weeds will wither. However, it takes several days for the vinegar to fully develop its effect. Therefore, you should only apply the vinegar mixture to dry weeds and only if there is no rain forecast on the following days, so that the mixture is not immediately washed away by the weeds.
The vinegar mixture should then be able to act on the plant as a weed killer until it has completely dried out. The dried residue can only be removed from the soil days after treatment with the vinegar mixture. Weeds treated with vinegar wilt more quickly in the sun than in the shade.
Why is vinegar against weeds banned?
However, anyone who uses vinegar as a weed killer should be aware that they are in a legal gray area. The self-mixed herbicide should under no circumstances be used by hobby gardeners on sealed surfaces (garden paths, terraces, driveways). This can result in a fine and can be quite expensive.
In addition, acetic acid not only causes some damage to weeds, but also to other plants and soil organisms. The soil is also attacked by the vinegar, the pH value changes, and a so-called “no grow area” can occur where nothing grows anymore. Over-fertilizing the affected area often helps against weeds. There are some waste products that can be used as fertilizer. (rah)